Improvement in presses for molding sugar into cubes



4 Sheets-Sheetl.

A.. de la MONTAGNIE. PRESSES FOR MOLDING SUGAR. INTO CUBES.

Patented lSepf.. 5, 1876.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. de 1a. MON'TAGNIE.

lPRESSES FOR MOLDING SUGAR INTO CUBES. No.181,9'20. Patented Sept.5,1876.

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NAPETERS. FHDTQLITH0GRAPHER. wASmNCTON. D C.

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. A. dela. MONTAGNIE.

PRESSES FOR MOLDING SUGAR'INTO CUBES. No. 181,920. Patented Sept.v5, 1876.

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N-PI'ERS. PHOTQ-LITHOGRAPHE. WASHKNGTON. D C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

A. del. MONTAGNIE.

PRESSES FOR MOLDING SUGAR INTO CUBES. No 181,920 Patented Sept.5,1,876.

NZPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER WASBMNGTDN. D 24 STATES LBERT Dn LA MNTAGNIE, on New YORK, vAssiefnon r ro HI-Msnhn Ann* 1 DAVID ELSTON, QF BROOKLYN, N. Y.

IMPRVMENT'IN'fPRESSES FoR MorDlN'es'ueARfIN'rocBE's.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent'No. 181,920, dated September 5,1876; applicationhled June 15, 1876.

.T0 'all whom it 'may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT DE LA MoN- TAGNIE, of the city of New York, county and Stateof New York, have invented a new'and useful Improvement in Sugar Presses, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing forming part of the same, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a sugar-press, containing my invention 5 Fig. Y2, a vertical section of the` same,tak en on line m x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is also a section of the same, at Vright angles to section Fig. 2, and on line y y, Fig. l. Fig. 4'is an'end elevation, with a vertical sectional view on line y y', Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan of a detached part of the frame of thepress, on which is mounted=the screw andfollower with the pulleys andautomatic clutches whereby thescrew isactuated. Fig. 6 is a detailed view of -a vpair ofthedies and lconnectingarms with the guide-rails, whereby Ya reciprocating motionisgiven tothe dies Vupon the plungers, as they revolve ontheir axis. Fig. 7 is a detailed view, on a large scale, of a part of the follower-shaft and one of the automaticfclutches, and Fig. 8 is a plan of the scraper, hereafter particularly described.

My invention relates to that'class of sugar'- f presses designed to press granular sugar into small hardvrnasses, usually. of cubical form, and consists) of the devices and Atheir combinations, herein particularly described and claimed as novel.

Aris the frame upon which the mo'vngparts are mounted. lB is a revolving shaft, having its bearings in the sides of the frame, and upon which are mounted four sets of plungers, C C' C" Cm., Dis a large square block, or mass, keyed to the shaft B, and the'plungers project from its four sides. E F' E E are the dies'inwhich the sugar is pressed, litted to the plun gers. The'dies opposite each other are coupled together by connecting-bars `F F at each endof the' block D, provided with slotted openings at their centers, through which passes the Ishaft B, as plainly seen in full lines `in Fig. 6, and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. These parts are so constructed that the dies, which are coupled'together on opposite sides of the block D, may reciprocate back and'forthupon their plungers without'le'av'- ing'them.

G is ahopper for conducting the sugarto the dies, and H a spoutfor conveying the sugar `to the hopper. The latter is provided with two slides or valves, aa', so arranged that the space between'them 'will hold ac harge 'of sugar for one of the dies or setof dies. v Il is an auxiliary smaller spout, provided also withslides or' valves b b',.for a sniilarpurpose, designed to' hold and lconduct thoroughly' dry granular sugar, to be scattered over the top of eaoh'charge of thesu'gar after itis delivered in the dies, for the purpose ofpreventing the sugar, after'bei'ng pres'sed, zfrom adhering to the face of the presser or follower.

J is a blower, having ap'ipe 'leading'into' the compartment I between the slides: b '11', whereby, when the lower slide or valve bis' opened or removed, the blast from the 'fan isnrade'` to blow the dry sugar over the topof the char'ge in the dies, which has been previously delivered'from the spout H. The `s'ai d"fan is'ope'r-l atedby a beltrfrom a'counteshaft'orbyany other source of motion. K K -are'arnr'sonlevers securedto one end of thefslrat't'B, whereb'y4 the said shaftc'arrying with' it'the plungers E maybe conveniently rotatedbyhand by the operator. yOne 'of these 'arm'sKis jointed,

'as at d, and theV outer or'free endis pressed toward the machine by a spring, e. L is "a stop-ring or annulus, securedto thefra'me A, and provided with fourlnfo'tches, oneat the top, another diametrically opposite at the bottom, andthe othertwo one on each'side, equidistant from the others.l A projection, g, on the lever K engages thesenotche's, and

thereby locks the shaft in position'at each said bolt by a spring,w.

moved alternately to and from the dies EE E E. The clutches are substantially simi lar in construction, and one of them is shown plainly 011 a large scale in Fig. 7. It consists of a collar, h, keyed to the shaft, through which passes'a -pinor bolt that-engages a notch or'shoulder on the hub of the' pulley. From the outer end of the said bolt projects at right angles a stud or short arm, fi, and j is a spring which presses the bolt into engagement with the said notch. 7c is a latch pivoted in the said collar and pressed toward the These parts. are so constructed and arranged that'w'heu'the bolt is drawn lout the nose s of the said latch falls in behind a side projection, t, on the head of said bolt, and withholds the said boltpfrom engagementwith the notch in the hub of the pulley. l is a projecting ring or collar, secured to the inner end of the journal-box m, which serves to lift the latch 7c and throw it out of engagement with the projection ton the said bolt as the said latch is caused to ride up onto. said collar, when the shaft B is ruu back r.from the dies.

i When the shaft B is moved inward toward the dies the arm is stopped against a ring, n', and the bolt from which it projects is thereby withdrawn from its engagements with the pulley l? just as the follower has reached the desired limit of its 'movement in that direction.- When the bolt is thus withdrawn it is, as before explained, held out of engagement with the pulley until the shaft B has completed its reverse movement, and the latch la is disengaged from the said bolt. The clutch, connected with the pulley P', is of similar construction and operation; and it will'be readily understood that by the operation of these two pulleys, ruiming in opposite directions, the follower M is alternately driven to and from the dies. Upon the inner face of each side of the frame A is secured a rib, l', Fig. 6, in such position that the friction-roller i 1', turning on axes iixed in the dies E, will traverse the upper'faces of the 'y said ribs I', as tho Shoa B is rovoivottand the said dies are carried around with it, and that in so traversing said ribs each pair of dies will, in turn, be thrown upward on the plungers C, and placed in the position of the dies E E and plungers C. and C, as seen Fig. 2. By these means each die, as it in` turn comes -to its positionl under the 'hopper G, will be pushed oft' from its plunger, and ready to receive a charge of sugar. R" is a presser-plate on a lever, R", which swings on an axis, Rm.

This is to be operated by hand, and its oice is to compact somewhat each charge of sugar into the dies as it is delivered, so that it will not fall out as the die swings over into a horizontal position, where it is to be operated upon` byl the followerM. S is a scraper, the

omce'of which is to detach the pressed cubes of sugar from the ends of the plungers in case they should be disposed to adhere to them.' 1t consists of a frame, (shown detached amiga) W-hioh slides horizontally io grooves,y

in the edges of the ribs l'. It lies immediately underneath' the dies, so that pressed cubes of sugar, as the dies are pushed off from them, will project downward Within this frame. Then,it the sugar sticks to the plungers', by sliding this frame in its ways or grooves the cross-rail of one end of it will strike the cubes and detach them, allowing them to fall into any desired receptacle below,or, as seen in dotted lines, Fig. 2, upon an apron or endless belt. T is a hand-lever, by which the said frame or scraper is actuated, the said lever moving it in one direction, and the spring u in the other. U is a revolving brush driven by a `belt from a pulley, U', on the shaft B, the oflce of which `is to brush off from theface of the plunger any sugar which may remain after each operation of pressing.

A frame or scraper is provided to be operated entirely by hand to assist in compacting 'the sugar into the dies as it is delivered from the hopper Gr. A section of it, marked c, is seen in Fig. '2. The cross-bar c is beveled at the inner edge of its under face, so that when it is drawn over the sugar it will tend to compact it somewhat, and scrape oft' what it cannot force downward into the dies.

In the drawings I have vendeavored to represent four plun'gers in each side of the block D with corresponding dies. A greater or less number may be employed at pleasure.

The operation of this machine is as follows: The spout H being filled with sugar and the valve a closed, the valve a is closed and a' opened. The charge contained between the valve falls through the hopper Gr into the dies EH, they being in the position seen in Fig. 2. A small quantity of very dry sugar is then discharged from the spout I, and, the blower being in motion, scattered over the surface of the mass in the dies. Then the presser R is swung down upon the sugar, forcing it into the dies, and compressing it somewhat. Then the frame v is slid quickly across the face of the dies, scraping oi' any surplus. Then the operator unlocks the lever K, and gives the shaft B a quarter turn, when the said 1ever is again locked, as hereinbefore described, and the dies El are swung down into position opposite the follower M, which approaches, forces the dies upon their plungers, and compresses-the sugar. While this is being done the next set of dies are filled in like manner. Another quarter-turn of the shaft B carries the dies E down under the shaft, and forces them back onto their plunger off from the sugar, which falls in cubes upon the apron underneath, the scraper S operating to detach the cubes from the plunger, and the revolving brush U removing any sugar that may have adhere to the end surface of the 'plungers In this manner the operation of pressing is repeated four times at each complete revolution ofthe shaft B. `W is intended to represent an indicator,to bey actuated by the shaft B,

whereby there may be indicated the number of pressing operations, and, consequently, the number of cubes of sugar pressed in any given time.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. llhe combination, in a sugar-press, of two plungers or sets of plungers secured at right angles upon a revolving shaft, with two dies or sets of dies ttedto said plungers and coupled together by connecting-bars, and a presser or follower actuated by a suitable mechanical power to accomplish the act of pressing sugar in the dies by forcing the dies upon the plungers, together with friction -rollers turning on axes fixed in the dies, and adapted to traverse ribs arranged onthe frame of the machine, whereby' the sugar pressed in one set of dies is delivered thereform, and the 0pposite set of dies is opened to receive the charge of fresh sugar, as and for the purposes j described.

2. The combination of the dies and plungers vE C, the scraper S, lever T, and spring u, constructed and operating as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the dies and plun gers,

described and shown, the hopper G, spoutsA H and I, and presser R, constructed and operating as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the revolving dies and plungers, the follower M, the pulleys P P', and the clutches R R', whereby the said follower is automatically caused to move lto and from said dies and plungers, all constructed and operating as and for the purpose specied.

5. The combination of the rotary shaft B, the dies and plungers revolving therewith, the jointed lever k, and the notchedannulus L, all constructed and operating as and for the purpose described. l ALBERT DE LA MONTAGNIE.

Witnesses:

B. S. CLARK, FRED. E. BOND. 

